Brighton 7

Talk about spanner in the works - Oliver has announced he does not want to go to India and has gone back to Glasgow. I am still going ahead with the plan, but am very nervous about the level of harassment I can expect as a single woman travelling alone in India. Been on-line and swatting up with my Lonely Planet guide which says, for example “if you feel someone getting too close in a crowd or on a bus, brandishing your left shoe in his face can be very effective”. Not sure if the shoe is supposed to be on or off, or why exactly is should be the left shoe… maybe the answer lies in spending a week on a yoga training course prior to venturing out.

Strange to be back in Brighton - it all feels very surreal. All the white faces are very bland and going to the shops even to buy food in the supermarket lacks depth - no one is chatting or laughing!!!

Had to deal with First Direct again. The replacement card was not at the appointed place and then they tried to fob me off with telling me it had been destroyed after 3 days - which was bullshit. Eventually admitted it hadn’t been sent due to the error of a human being and forwarded it special delivery (grrrrr).

Barbados 9

I am so very sad to leave Barbados and will really miss dear Sooey who has been wonderful to us.

Our last week has whizzed by. We had a lovely time at the Jazz Festival on Farley Hill - saw Erykah Badu - a great performance (even Oli wanted to buy the t-shirt) and then had a picnic planned on Saturday afternoon to watch more bands including the Cuban All Stars. Then even more hanging out at the beach at Ju Ju's and time spent down in Holetown with Lizzie and Matthew from the UK and our best pal, O'Neil.

On our last day we went down to the Concord Experience - my only chance to actually get on the plane. Having heard so much about it for years before it was decommissioned, I was still surprised by how small it was and can’t imagine flying in it. Oli went on the flight simulator and landed and parked Concord on the apron within minutes… the guide said it was the quickest and best landing he had seen, but not really surprising as he has mastered the art of being a virtual pilot for the last couple of years.

Then back to the beach for a Bank Holiday extravaganza including BBQ with the local guys who dug a hole in the sand and put the morning’s catch along with breadfruit onto a makeshift grill fired with coconut branches mmmmm delicious!!!

I'll miss the yellow buses - local renegade buses that charge around, stop and pick you up anywhere you like and play really loud reggae music.

Rastamen - who have the most hilarious angle on everything.

Cocktails at sunset & dinner at fabulous locations like the Lone Star.

But most of all I'll miss all the wonderful people we met XXX